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This crochet teddy bear is a cute amigurumi called Wentworth. He has a removable jacket for added play value and is about 6 inches tall. You will need a modest amount of yarn, plus a button and some toy stuffing. This pattern costs £1.99 GBP and is available via Ravelry.

Wentworth uses dc (US: sc) and htr (US: hdc) stitches and is suitable for an advanced beginner to crochet. In less than 2 hours, you could have a cute crochet teddy bear ready to go; he’d make an ideal last-minute gift for anyone. :)

His limbs are designed to allow him to be posed; he can sit unaided or you can prop him up, standing. If you don’t fancy making the little jacket, you could tie a ribbon around his neck or crochet a little scarf! However, the jacket is designed so that the dc (US: sc) edging is optional and the button loop is worked last, so you can omit the button if you wish.

Suggestions are provided for sewing his facial features. If you’re not a fan of French knots and satin stitches… you could use any sewing stitches you like, scraps of felt or small toy safety eyes. A particular pleasure of crafting your own toys is that you can customise them to your heart’s content. Who says teddy bears must be brown? You could make a purple Wentworth with an orange jacket, if that takes your fancy! His head and body are worked in rounds, so you could even make a horizontal striped Wentworth. :)

The immortal poem, In Flanders Field, poignantly inspires the remembrance poppies worn to commemorate the fallen – from the First World War, the Second World War and all conflicts ever since. With that in mind, I’ve designed my Remembrance Poppy Brooch in memory of all the heroes, who fought to defend our freedom and fell in the line of duty.

This pattern is available at £0.99 GBP via Ravelry – with £0.20 GBP from each sale* donated to the Poppy Appeal.

The Remembrance Poppy Brooch is made in 3 parts, which are sewn together. It is intended to resemble a wild poppy, with its layered petals and rough leaves. Pattern directions are given in British English terminology, with American English equivalents noted where appropriate. It should be suitable for confident beginners; it uses dc (US sc) and htr (US hdc) stitches.

I hope this brooch will be crocheted and worn by lots of people, especially on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday. Please consider sharing this blog post, to help publicise this pattern. In the words of For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon: “We will remember them.”

*Funds allocated to the Poppy Appeal, from Remembrance Poppy Brooch patterns sold, may be held until they total £3.00 GBP or greater, before being donated direct to The Royal British Legion.

The background of my Remembrance Poppy Brooch photo is a reproduction World War Two newspaper from Historic Newspapers. There is something wonderful in handling historic artifacts; it really helps to bring history to life! If you’re interested in buying your own slice of history, for personal or educational purposes, code EDU10 gives a 10% discount off any Historic Newspapers purchase.

The pattern is available for sale via Ravelry, priced at £0.99 GBP. Ravelry members can also upload their completed mini Christmas stocking photos there, to share their unique stocking styles! :)

You will need to use the basic dc (US: sc) and sl st for the plain stocking, so this pattern is very suitable for beginners. The ‘shell’ requires htr (US: hdc), however, the only difficult part of all the stockings is simply keeping count of your stitches! Remember: you always work and join a round at the same height, so don’t join to the bottom of a turning chain or work into the edge of a short row. ;) I find that it really helps to count aloud!

The photo (above) shows 5 different mini Christmas stockings, made to my Lilajem Stockings pattern. The first (from the left) is a plain stocking, in a solid colour – it takes about 20 minutes to crochet this and is perfect for embellishing. The second stocking has a contrast heel. The middle stocking has contrasting colours for the toe, heel and leg – which is a mini ‘shell’ type stitch for a mesh effect. The candy corn colours are perfect for autumn (US: fall) but a red, green and white mix would look very festive for Christmas! The fourth stocking has a mesh/shell leg and is a solid colour. The last stocking is completely crocheted in the mini ‘shell’ stitch, including the heel, so it’s actually faster to make than the plain stocking (which has more rounds). It’s particularly important to count your stitches for the full mesh/shell stocking because the rounds and short rows are taller.

I would love to see your photos or hear how you got on with my pattern, if you buy it! Contact me via my blog or on Ravelry (cbknit12). Happy crocheting! :) x